Chapter 131: Chapter 130 : No Match (Part 1)

“Gramps, what do you think?” Leaning against the balcony, Chloe glanced back and asked.

Walton held off on sipping his tea. “On the surface, it’s an impossible task. As long as his opponents combine, there should be no way he can defeat them. And from what I’ve seen, there’s no way to stop them. But since he’s agreed to it, he must have a way to turn the tides. Whatever it is, it will be an absurdity of note. Watch closely granddaughter, there may be something we can learn.”

Chloe nodded before returning her gaze to Ray in the ring below. Anticipation filled her eyes. Just like her grandfather, she too was expecting something never before seen. She wished him good luck silently and then did the same to his opponents.

***

[[The odds aren’t in our favour. To think there would still be doubters left, unbelievable, simply unbelievable.]]

Ray mentally shrugged at his other self’s comments. His gaze moved up to what prompted the string of words. The betting odds. For the first time since the debut match, the duo had worse odds. It may seem odd given all their dominating performances, but when looking at the Match 5 batch, it all made perfect sense.

The fact that it was an 80-20 split meant that many were still operating on emotional instead of logical reasoning, for if they did, it would be a 100 - 0 situation.

The Match 5 batch was comprised of only Rank 5 Telekinetics. This was daunting enough, but even more so when one knew that seven of those ten belonged to Talon 3, one of White Hawk’s most elite units.

This lineup wasn’t a coincidence by any means - no, it was a product of artificial shuffling. The Duke ran the idea by the duo, asking if they would allow it.

The duo allowed it on the condition that the shuffling was kept to the vs many matches. The one-on-one match-ups were chosen for very specific reasons, and couldn’t be shuffled.

Hearing this, the Duke gave the green light and many groups began shifting about. The Match 5 batch did the same, and luckily for them, the Talon 3 members weren’t too scattered. In the days leading up to the match, there was plenty of scripted victories and defeats. This would usually be frowned upon but with the context of the Challenger Series known, the audience and the Duke didn’t mind it.

So, what was Talon 3 exactly?

The Talon units, numbered 1 - 7, were groups that specialised in union techniques, and more specifically joint Psi Avatar manifestation and battle. Instead of fighting as seven individuals, the Talons would create a giant Psi Avatar and then seat themselves inside.

In it, they would collectively pilot the construct to do battle for them. This was a highly effective technique when done correctly, and allowed them to do battle against higher-ranked foes. Needless to say, as one of the top-ranked units, Talon 3 was very skilled in working together. Each person knew their role well and played it perfectly.

The group’s skill and might wasn’t something only known to the army. While it was much rarer, the Combat Arena hosted quite a number of group battles between Talon units. This allowed the audience, and Ray to know exactly what he was up against tonight, and this was why his odds looked the way they looked.

Talon 3’s joint Psi Avatar was a contraption that could fight Rank 6s and 7s, even several of them at once, so in most peoples’ minds, Ray, as aberrant as he was, had no chance of walking away with a victory here tonight.

Holding the same notion was Chen Fu, leader of Talon 3. With his pitch-black eyes, he watched Ray’s figure in the distance. ‘What is he thinking? Does he really believe that he can intercept us before we combine? Or is he totally ignorant of our prowess?’

While confident, some confusion stirred within the soldier. It was important to note that the Duke initially prohibited the use of joint Psi Avatars. This was why it wasn’t a thing in earlier matches. Many soldiers were bitter about this decision, thinking that if this rule wasn’t in place, the duo would easily be dealt with. But then, on the day between the third and fourth match, the Duke, seemingly out of nowhere lifted the ban on this tactic.

Chen Fu and others were overjoyed by the news. But at the same time, they were vexed as to why. They naturally consulted the Duke about it, and the answer they received baffled them even more.

‘They knowingly approved the use of joint Psi Avatars…why? If they saw even one video, they’d know they stand no chance. So why?’

The more he asked the question, the more unnerved he got. The duo had proven to be extremely intelligent so this seemingly nonsensical move threw everyone for a loop.

If Ray had brought some type of equipment or weapon that could turn the tides, Chen Fu would understand, but he didn’t. Not a gourd, not a blade, not a gun…he brought nothing with him.

It was clear that he would just rely on his Psi for this battle, a fact that baffled both Chen Fu and the crowd. They just couldn’t understand the line of thinking that would result in said actions being taken.

‘Ah, I can’t falter.‘

Chen Fu broke himself out of his thoughts. ‘That’s just what he wants. We can’t falter.’

Noticing his surroundings falling into the same daze, snapped him awake and into action.

He grabbed the attention of his surroundings with a loud clap. “Don’t overthink it,” his voice was filled with vigour. “There’s only one way we can lose, and that is by doubting.” At his words, the faces of his group lit up with life one by one. “Victory is already in our palms, all we have to do is grasp tightly. As long as we stick to what we practised and keep a cool head, we’ll win.”

The speech ignited the group and powerful salutes followed.

In the distance, Ray had an amused light flicker through his eyes as he watched the spectacle.

[[They’re fired up, aren’t they. Ray, think we’ll level up here?]]

[[Who knows, I’m definitely not holding my breath for it though.]]

[[Haa, yet everyone else is levelling u- oh, it’s starting.]]

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The lights switched off one by one until only the ring was lit up. The countdown entered its last ten seconds and the stand quickly lost all sound as everyone’s concentration was pulled taut. The crowd watched the seconds tick away with bated breath, anticipation swelling in the arena.

When the countdown hit three, Vostel’s excited voice sounded the announcement.

[Battle start!]

The Psi wall disintegrated and with it…nothing.

Compared to the frenzy in the announcer’s voice, the happening in the ring was much more subdued. On the soldiers’ side, several Psi walls were erected around the scrunched up group. These walls though ended up being pointless.

To Chen Fu and the other soldiers’ surprise, Ray hadn’t budged an inch from his previous spot. His inaction provoked eye twitches from Chen Fu and the other fighters. The message he was sending was crystal clear.

‘Go ahead, combine. I’ll best you at your best, huh,’ Chen Fu thought, as though reading his opponent’s mind like an open book.

It was vexing, infuriating even. Regardless, Chen Fu and the others wouldn’t waste the opportunity.

Starting with Talon 3 at the centre, a giant Psi Avatar took form. Once fully formed, the three remaining soldiers were absorbed in and positioned in their individual ‘cockpits’.

Ray’s nonchalance scattered and his mental cogs sped up at the sight of the complete product. The joint Psi avatar took the form of a giant four-legged single-tail beast.

Standing at four metres high, it was twelve metres long from snout to tail tip. While its inspiration was a real creature, Ray felt the design was closer to that of a mecha.

Ray noted the positions of everyone inside. Six of the Talon 3 members were in a large cockpit where the upper torso was situated, Chen Fu was positioned at the throat region while the non-Talon 3 soldiers were in the rear, near the thick tail.

[Are you ready?]

This question sounded in the venue’s minds. It wasn’t Vostel who voiced this question, but Chen Fu.

Ray left the gate he was leaning against and strode forward. With an air of nonchalance swirling around him, he replied with, [Go ahead.]

Chen Fu squinted, then taking a breath, he gave the order.

A moment later…

Boom!

Appearing at the opposite gate in a flash, the Psi beast’s paw thundered down, bringing an enormous might with it. The area before the gate was devastated. An instant crater formed and dirt exploded out in every direction, themselves becoming no different than bullets.

Ray, now ten metres away, had to erect a barrier to spare himself from being riddled by them.

Looks of disbelief found themselves on the crowd, not just at the attack’s might, but also at themselves for having considered the possibility of Ray winning here tonight.

The Psi beast didn’t follow up on its attack. Instead, under the direction of Chen Fu, the main coordinator, it slowly turned its body towards Ray.

[Ray,] Chen Fu spoke again. [You stand no chance against us. That strike should have made it clear. I’ve heard Silver is the strongest of the three personalities. How about bringing him out? I’m sure many would like to see him in action at least once before the Challenger Series ends. How about it?]

‘These bastards.’

The more he heard, the more frigid Ray’s aura became. Ralf’s laughter echoing in his head didn’t help. Muting his other self out of irritation, he cast his cold eyes towards the one who dared to make such an arrogant declaration towards him.

[Silver,] a short pause followed the utterance before Ray continued, [he is indeed the strongest of us three. But while he is the strongest, he will only show himself in the face of a true challenge. You lot…are not that. I am more than enough to defeat you all.]

Chen Fu and the audience were blown away by the declaration. A stunned silence gripped the venue for the next few seconds.

When Chen Fu finally came to, anger began colouring his expression. The same paintbrush moved over the surrounding soldiers’ faces.

[I see. Then, let’s continue.]

Swoosh!

The ‘battle’ resumed.

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